Wildlife, Rodent, & Pest Control Services

Pests don’t make good houseguests! An abundance of wildlife calls Knoxville home, and many of these species would love nothing more than to move into your house and reap the benefits of easy meals and sturdy shelter from the elements. It doesn’t matter if they’re tiny little ants or a raccoon the size of a dog, any unwanted bugs and critters can inflict widespread damage and spread dangerous diseases if they move in under your roof.

Most pest species are capable survivors that can be frustratingly challenging to remove once they’ve infested your home. The best form of pest control is proactively pest-proofing your home so that wild animals are less likely to be drawn into your home and will have a harder time getting in. If you’d like to learn more about how to keep pests and wildlife out of your home in Knoxville, read on.

Top 5 Ways to Pest-Proof Your Home

1. Make Food Inaccessible – Do you know what most commonly draws most pests into homes? Food. Whether you’re in the habit of leaving food out on your table or you often allow dirty dishes to sit in the sink overnight, any food that is easy to get at creates a heightened risk of wildlife intrusion. If you want to avoid attracting bugs, rodents and other pests into your home in Knoxville, keep all food items in secure containers. This includes food waste; make sure your kitchen garbage is emptied into a tightly-lidded trash can or it may soon become a banquet for raccoons and roaches. You should also never leave pet food outside overnight, as this can attract critters like skunks and opossums.
2. Cover Vent Openings – The exterior vent openings on your home – such as dryer vents and gable vents – are often covered by a screen or shutters. Unfortunately, neither are very effective at keeping wildlife out of your home. Squirrels and rodents can easily chew through screens and squeeze through shutters while they’re open. If you’ve had wildlife invade your home and you can’t figure out how they got in, a vulnerable vent opening was probably their entry point. To pest-proof your home in Knoxville, you should upgrade your vent covers to more durable barriers which rodents can’t simply chew or squeeze through.
3. Screen Your Porch – Porches are a common target for many wild animals due to the excellent shelter they provide. Once critters start living under your porch, they’ll often go on to invade your crawl space. To prevent this from happening, have a pest-proof screen installed around the base of your porch. Make sure this screen goes at least several inches down into the ground so that groundhogs and skunks can’t dig underneath it.
4. Repair Roof Damage – Holes or cracks in your roof are commonly used as wildlife entry points. Unfortunately, roof damage is something we don’t usually see, so bats or squirrels can move into your roof before you even realize the damage occurred. At least twice a year, inspect your roof to make sure there isn’t any serious damage, which can lead to leaks as well as wildlife intrusion. Have any holes in your roof repair promptly to prevent opportunistic critters from moving in.
5. Keep Doors & Windows Airtight – While a closed door or window is enough to keep most wildlife out, many bugs can slip in through the cracks if the weatherproof sealant has been corroded by the elements. As a general rule of thumb, if there is a draft or a leak coming from any of the windows or exterior doors in your home in Knoxville, small pests can use it as an entry point. To prevent this from happening, apply fresh sealant to your doors and windows to create an airtight seal which even tiny ants can’t crawl through. If you’re concerned about mice and bugs coming in through the space under your doors, consider installing door sweeps to keep them out.

Let the Pros Pest-Proof Your Home

If you need help to keep pests from invading your home and disturbing your peace of mind, your local pros have got you covered. Give Critter Wranglers a call today if you need pest and wildlife prevention services in the Knoxville area!